The league has expanded in boys basketball — girls basketball, softball and baseball, too — to 13 members with the addition of Moravian Academy.

The new arrival has prompted a revamping of the divisions. Formerly, the Colonial had a North/South divide.

Now, it's East and West with Moravian Academy coming aboard in the East to give that division seven teams.

The East is primarily Northampton County schools, plus Palisades from Bucks County.

The West consists of Lehigh County schools, plus Palmerton from Carbon County.

East teams will play 18 league games and the West will have 17 league contests, all leading to a six-team tournament in early February.

The top six teams will be seeded and the top two seeds will receive byes into the semifinals.

"The league is going to be exciting, and our division in particular is going to be interesting," said Notre Dame coach Pat Boyle, whose team won the title last year. "All of the teams in our division are going to be pretty good. It's going to be a challenge.

"The one negative is that playing 18 league games leaves you with just four open dates, and we have a tip-off tournament and a Christmas tournament and that's it. You always like to see different teams and different styles."

The league opens play Tuesday night.

WEST DIVISION

CATASAUQUA

•Coach: Eric Snyder (23rd season)

•Record: 17-9, 12-4 (second in Colonial North)

•Postseason: Defeated Salisbury, lost to Notre Dame 60-58 in the league tournament finals. Defeated North Schuylkill, lost to Notre Dame 82-71 in District 11 2A finals.

•Outlook: As usual, Snyder just got back a bunch of football players this week after the Thanksgiving morning game against Northampton. And, as usual, the Roughies' goal is to get into the league and district tournaments. Snyder said he has good athletes and good shooters, but the Roughies may not be as physical as they were a year ago. Bond, Wetherhold and Schiffer give the team experience and scoring punch. If others contribute, Catty should contend for a league playoff berth.

NORTHERN LEHIGH

•Coach: Jeff Miller (fifth season, 62-33)

•Last year: 13-10, 10-6 (third in North)

•Postseason: Lost to Saucon Valley 72-39 in the first round of the District 11 3A tournament.

•Outlook: The Bulldogs appear to be in rebuilding mode after losing 80 percent of their scoring and rebounding from a year ago. Miller said his team doesn't have the size it had in recent years, so rebounding is a concern. They will try to use their quickness to create scoring chances and spark the defense. Could a streak of 11 consecutive tournament appearances be coming to an end?

•Outlook: Hallman replaces Danny Eddinger, who coached the last three seasons and went 14-52. Hallman, who spent the last seven seasons with the Tigers girls program, is a 1994 Northwestern grad. The Tigers are athletic and plan to pressure opponents to compensate for a lack of size. Hallman said his team is looking forward to the start of the season, which begins in the Wilson tournament on Friday. After losing many close games last year, the Tigers want to finish stronger this season. They feel a district berth is within reach.

•Outlook: Keenan said he is excited to have many returning players who have improved. "We have a lot to prove this year, but we have a positive outlook," he said. "We have great commitment, dedication and have improved on both sides of the ball. No predictions, other than the program is headed in the right direction."

SALISBURY

•Coach: Jason Weaver (seventh season, 99-51)

•Last year: 15-9, 12-4 (won South Division)

•Postseason: Lost to Catasauqua 48-42 in league semis; lost to Bethlehem Catholic 73-66 in District 11 3A quarterfinals

•Outlook: This was expected to be a rebuilding year, but the bar got raised by what the Falcons did at the Stellar and SportsFest tournaments in July. Weaver thinks the Falcons will play good defense and it may have to carry the offense at times. They have six seniors and leadership shouldn't be a problem. Reichenbach and Reid figure to be the scoring leaders, but it's still a team without a returning starter or a proven 3-point shooter. "We have some question marks," Weaver said. "But we also have potential."

SOUTHERN LEHIGH

•Coach: Ben Tannous (second season)

•Last year: 14-9, 8-8 (third in the South)

•Postseason: Lost to Blue Mountain 67-51 in the District 11 3A quarterfinals

•Outlook: Tannous has a strong sophomore class, but also some seniors who decided to come out and provide leadership. "We have a good mix," he said. "We're going to be pretty good as long as the classes mesh well together." Tannous is concerned about the outside shooting. "We don't have a lot of guys who can knock down shots in the half-court," he said. "We can get up and down the floor with anybody. The key is getting consistent scoring."

•Outlook: The Slaters lost a lot of firepower from a year ago, but still have a lot coming back. Martino, who has started since he was a freshman, is set to establish himself as one of the best players in the league, and certainly one of the top point guards. Morris, Reece Jones and Schiavone are all good shooters, and the tall and lanky Benton twins figure to make an impact as sophomores. "We're certainly optimistic," Holland said. "We can shoot the ball and we're athletic."

•Outlook: The Lions as usual feature a quality bunch of hard-working, dedicated kids who want to learn and get better. However, there's a lack of experience. Hurley is the only returning starter. This is a transition year for the program as the Lions adjust to a new head coach after the untimely death of John Donmoyer in August and also must get used to a brand-new facility and playing in the Colonial League. Gabryluk was just approved as coach about a week before practice began, so he has been learning about the kids on the fly, just as they have had to quickly get to know him. This could be a work in progress.

•Outlook: The Crusaders step up in class to 3A come district tournament time, and Boyle, last year's Morning Call coach of the year, enters the season hoping his team qualifies. An injury to Gregg will keep him out of action for at least the first week of the season. Once he's back, he and Kelly form a solid 1-2 scoring punch. Until Gregg returns, Boyle will be looking for some of the younger, unproven players to step up. "We've got a tough early-season schedule," he said. "We've just got to hold things together until we get Austin back."

•Outlook: The Pirates return four starters and Ramsden would be a fifth if he can return from a football injury. Termini said the program had a great summer playing in various events, going against quality competition. Included in the offseason was making it to the finals of the Forks Summer League. Ten kids played AAU ball. All of that combined with this being the second year of Termini's system should make the Pirates a vastly improved program capable of winning on a more regular basis.

•Outlook: Hutnik likes his team's shooting and guard play. Everybody is more comfortable since this is the second season under his system. He likes the mix of seniors and sophomores who bode well for the program's future. "We've definitely progressed from last year to this year," he said. Fehr, he said, is a terrific senior leader. "I can't say enough about him. He's exactly what you want from a senior captain." Muller, too, has earned Hutnik's praise, but it's the development of the sophomores who hold the key to the season.

•Outlook: Brown feels good about a team that returns three starters and has eight players who got varsity experience a year ago. It's a team that should be able to score. Kane is one of several talented offensive players. The concerns come on defense and the boards. "If the players learn how to get big stops on the defensive end and good health prevails, we should compete for league and district titles," Brown said.

•Outlook: The Warriors went from a 22-3 record in 2012-13 to a team that missed the postseason a year ago. Frankenfield said that with three returning starters (Pierfy, Cintron and Cooper), things are on the upswing and returning to the playoffs is providing motivation. Pierfy will be one of the most dominant players in the league and the area. His injury last season was a big reason for the team's struggles. If he stays healthy and gets some help, Wilson figures to be back in contention.